Vending machine



D. B. BENHAM 2,141,851

Dec. 27, 1938.- V

' VENDING MACHINE Filed Nov; 27, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l k 2a sa 4 '6 55 5 v H I: 55 0 INVENTOR Dec. 27, 1938. D. B. BENHAM VENDING MACHINE S Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 27, 1936 INVENTOR B. BENHAM ATTORNEYS Dec. 27, 1938; D. B. BENHAM VENDING MACHINE .Filed Nov. 27, 1936 :s Shets-Sheei s INvENToR m. B. BENHAM lay/ W ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 27, 1938 UNITED STATES 6 Claims.

This invention relates generally to vending machines and has for a particular object to provide a very simple and inexpensive device for dispensing irregular packages.

The invention finds valuable application for dispensing of peanuts which heretofore have not, in so far as I am aware, been dispensed in packages in coin controlled machines. My invention is adapted for dispensing various kinds of packaged granular goods.

The ordinary type of peanut vending machine is one in which the peanuts are deposited loosely in a reservoir and are dispensed in that loose condition to a position accessible to the hand of the vendee. This method of dispensing is unsanitary and in some localities it is not permitted because of the probability of the spreading of various diseases. 7

Features of the invention include; the use of a single disc, on opposite sides of which are respectively, coin pockets, and commodity receptacles; the association with the coin pockets of an arm having means for receiving and guiding a coin into one of the pockets and having means which engages a coin in a pocket to cause it to advance the disc; and all details of construction along with the broader ideas of means inherent in the disclosure.

Other features include; the formation respectively of coin receiving pockets and commodity receiving receptacles on opposite sides of the disc by means of projections; and the co-operation of a stationary wall in the formation of the commodity receptacles to allow said receptacles to be filled when the disc is in horizontal position.

Objects, features and advantages will appear in the description of the drawings, and in said drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation;

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section on line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3 of Figure 2, with parts broken away to illustrate structures which are rearwardly of the plane of the section;

Figure 4 is a plan section on line 4-4 of Figure 3, with the disc and disc-operating arm removed;

50 Figure 5 is a rear elevation of the cover with the disc removed, to show the relations of the control arm;

Figure 6 is a detail section taken on line 6-5 of Figure 2 showing the relation of the coin chute of the operating arm to the disc and cam pockets thereon and the relation of the pockets to com- I modity receptacles;

Figure '7 is a detail elevation of the side of the disc opposite to that shown in Figure 6; and

Figure 8 is a detail plan section on line B8 of Figure 2 showing the relations of the control arm to the coin pockets.

Numeral I generally indicates a base having a back wall 2, a bottom 3 and relatively wide vertical side flanges 4.

The numeral It] generally indicates a magazine or disc-carrying cover suitably detachably secured to the base casing l, and having mounted thereon substantially all of the parts which are essential to the vending operation, whereby the cover can be removed and disposed horizontally to facilitate loading of commodity receptacles.

The front wall of the cover which is also the front wall of the machine is indicated at H. Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 the front wall has secured to its front face a mirror l2. This wall also has secured thereto and extending backwardly or inwardly therefrom a pivot l l which is carried and immovably held in place by a plate in. Also see Figures 4 and 5. The front wall M has rearwardly extending relatively short side flanges indicated at it, see Figures 3 and 4. The flanges 4 of the base fit on the inside of the flanges it as shown, the flanges 4 being relatively wider than flanges l6.

Pivoted on the stud I4 is a disc indicated at 29, and preferably composed of sheet metal. This disc has on one face formed as by punching out portions of the disc, a plurality of peripherially arranged coin pockets opening toward the periphery so that a coin can be deposited therein and dropped therefrom by gravity. 7

Referring to Figure '7, each pocket is in part formed by three punched out tabs respectively indicated at El, 22, 2'5 defining the quadrant of a circle, the remaining quadrant of which is completed by tabs 2i and 22 of the next similar series of similarly arranged tabs. The pockets are thus formed by groups of three punch-outs. I, of

course, do not intend to be entirely limited to this particular structure of the pockets, although this very simple and efficient structure is claimed per se. It is obvious that the pockets could be formed in other ways.

In Figure 3 the pockets are shown with coins in them, each coin having been deposited by passage through a slot 25 of a control, or disc-operating arm indicated at 2B. The arm extends through a slot in the top of the cover Ill so that it can be grasped or engaged by the finger. The

arm has a front flange 21 (see Figures 1 and 2) which engages the front surface of the wall II and also has a rear flange 28 (see Figures 2 and 6) engaging the inner surface of the disc 20. These flanges maintain the proper operating relation between the slot 25 and the coin pockets.

By an inspection of the top part of Figure 2 it will be noted that the upper part ofthe arm is offset as at 30, and that the disc 20 is slightly dished to provide a space 3| between the arm and the disc, for the tabs or punch-outs 2|, 22 and 23. Suflicient clearance is of course provided to avoid scraping of the parts. The space for the coin pockets can be provided in other ways.

When a coin is dropped downwardly through the slot 25 it will engage the punch-out 23 which will limit its further inward or downward movement.

Referring to Figure 3 it will be seen that after the coin enters the coin pocket, its upper edge lies inwardly within the periphery of the disc 20.

' The arm has a lug or stop indicated in section at 32, which is initially disposed as shown, between the tabs or lugs 2| and 22. Upon movement of the arm in the direction of the arrow A, in this instance in clockwise direction, the lug 32 engages the edge coin as a stop, and moves the disc to bring a commodity receptacle 40 in opposition to a discharge or delivery opening 4|.

The commodity receptacles, in this instance, are placed on that side of the disc 20 opposite to the side on which the coin pockets are placed, and these receptacles open also toward the periphery and are arranged near the periphery or marginally of the disc. The number of coin pockets and commodity receptacles is the same. The commodity is delivered by gravity to the bottom 3 of the base and is accessible through opening 42 (see Figure 1) at the bottom of the machine.

The commodity receptacles are preferably formed by a series of spaced U-shaped elements each providing two outstanding partitions 45 connected by a short part 46, which part is connected as by welding to the disc 20. The U-shaped elements are of course so spaced that the receptacles 4|) are defined respectively between two partitions of the same U, and by the adjacent partitions of different U-shaped elements. The inner walls of the receptacles are formed by a circular flange 41, a portion of which is shown in Figure 3, the flange being secured to the disc 20 by welded straps 48. The receptacles 40 are open at the periphery, so that the commodity may fall by gravity therefrom to temporarily prevent gravity discharge of the commodity from the receptacles, as these receptacles pass below the horizontal, and until each reaches the discharge point or station there is provided a pair of flanges arranged in substantially symmetrical relation shown in Figures 3 and 5. One of these flanges is indicated at 50 and the other at 5|, and together they form a discharge opening 4| and also the walls 52--53 of a recess 54 which is reached through the opening 42. These elements 505| are suitably secured to the front wall of the cover by straps 55, suitably welded.

In order that rotation of the disc, by coin, be prevented, when the magazine is empty, a guard 56 (see Figure 3) is arranged to prevent entry of a coin into a pocket 51 when this pocket is in register with the coin slot 25 of the arm 25. This guard and pocket 51 are approximately diametrically opposed to a receptacle at the opposite periphery which receptacle will not contain a commodity. After filling all but one of the commodity receptacles with commodities, the magazine is rotated to bring the guard 51 and its pocket to a position just to the right of the coin chute 25 (see Figure 3). When the guard is so positioned the empty receptacle will be opposed to discharge opening 4|. A spring 58 provides automatically acting means for yieldably securing the disc in each advanced position to which it is rotated by the lever, said spring for this purpose having a curved extension 59 which engages between contiguous partitions 45, as shown in Figure 3. The arm 26 has an extension 60 (see Figure 5) which passes through a slot 6| of the flange 5| and this extension has attached thereto a spring 63 which tends to move the arm to yieldably maintain the same in a position wherein the slot 25 is registered so that a coin may be deposited in one of the pockets l9.

In order that the coins may fall to the bottom 3 the flange 50 is slotted as at 62. These slots BI, 62 are formed by notching the edges of elements 50 and 5| and the outer sides of the slots are formed by the inner surface of the wall ll of the cover as best shown in Figure 4.

The cover I0 has at its bottom the extensions 10 passing through slots (not shown) in the base 3. The cover It! also has a flange 12 at its top (see Figure 2) the outer end of which is slotted as at 13 (see Figure 6) for the passage of the arm 26, one end 14 of this slot acting as a slot to limit movement of the arm and therefore acting as a stop to determine the degree of rotative movement of the disc.

The back 2 is provided at the top with a keeper 15 having a recess (not shown) with which a bolt (not shown) of a lock 16 cooperates. The lock casing is arranged in a recess 11 (see Figure 5) of the flange 12. The key is inserted from, the top into a key hole (not shown). Referring to Figure 2 it will be understood that when the lock bolt is withdrawn the front can be swung outwardly in the direction of the arrow B about the elements 1|) as a center. After swinging sufliciently the cover can be raised to detach elements 10 from the bottom 3, and then the cover can be laid flatly with the commodity receptacles of the magazine positioned to receive commodities dropped into them.

Although all details of construction are claimed, there is no intention to limit the broader aspects of the invention entirely to such details.

I claim as my invention:

1. A vending machine having an outer casing, having therein a rotatable disc having on opposite faces respectively a series of coin pockets and a series of commodity receptacles, said disc forming one side of all receptacles and a wall of said outer casing forming the other side of all receptacles, a pivoted disc-rotating arm having means for guiding a coin into one of the coin pockets and further having means co-operative with a coin when in the pocket to cause the coin to rotatably advance the disc and bring a receptacle into commodity-delivery position.

2. A Vending machine having an outer casing, having therein a rotatable disc, said disc being provided on opposite faces respectively with a series of coin pockets and a series of radially delivering commodity receptacles, a removable plate forming one side of said casing on which said disc is supported for rotation and which on removal allows simultaneous lateral access to all receptacles for filling, a pivoted disc-rotating arm having means for guiding a coin into one of the coin pockets and further having means co-operative with a coin when in the pocket to cause the coin to rotatably advance the disc and bring a receptacle into commodity delivering position.

3. A vending machine comprising a rectangular casing composed of side and bottom walls and having one wall open, a removable cover adapted to be positioned on said casing for closing the open wall thereof, said cover having thereon a rotatable disc having on opposite faces respectively a series of coin pockets and a series of commodity receptacles, the side Wall of said casing opposite said cover adapted to maintain the commodities in said commodity receptacle, a pivoted disc-rotating arm having means for guiding a coin into one of the coin pockets and further having means co-operative with a coin when in the pocket to cause the coin to rotatably advance the disc and bring a receptacle into commodity delivering position.

4. A vending machine having a rotatable disc having on opposite faces respectively a series of lugs in part defining a plurality of circumferentially disposed coin receiving pockets, and means in part forming a plurality of circumferentially disposed commodity receiving receptacles, a stationary plate completing the formation of all receptacles, a pivoted disc-rotating arm having means for guiding a coin into one of the coin pockets and further having means co-operative with a coin when in the pocket to cause the coin to rotatably advance the disc and bring a receptacle into commodity-delivering position.

5. A vending machine having a rotatable disc having on opposite faces respectively a series of projections defining a plurality of coin pockets and a series of projections in part forming a plurality of circumferentially disposed commodity receptacles, a stationary plate as part of the forming means of all receptacles, a pivoted disc-rotating arm having means for guiding a coin into one of the coin pockets and further having means co-operative with a coin when in the pocket to cause the coin to rotatably advance the disc and bring a receptacle into commodity-delivering position.

6. In a vending machine, a base casing, a cover detachably secured to the casing and having mounted thereon all of the parts {which are concerned in controlling the vending operation, including a pivot, a disc rotative about the pivot and having on one face a series of peripherally disposed consecutively arranged coin pockets opening towards the periphery so that a coin can be deposited therein and dropped therefrom by gravity, means for one pocket for preventing entry of a coin thereinto, said disc having on its upposite face a plurality of commodity receptacles in number substantially equal to the coin pockets, and opening toward the periphery so that their commodity may be discharged by gravity, means automatically acting to yieldably secure the disc in each position to which it is rotated, an arm swinging on the pivot and having means which engages a coin in one of the pockets to rotate the disc sufficiently to bring a commodity receptacle into register with a delivery opening which is disposed at a point substantially diametrically related to the point of entry of a coin into a pocket, said arm having a coin slot adapted to register with a coin pocket when the arm is in a predetermined position, and yieldable means for turning the arm to the position after each movement away therefrom to rotate the disc.

DALLAS B. BENHAM. 

